-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man who crashed his plane in the Florida Panhandle in an apparent attempt to fake his death was sentenced Wednesday to more than four years in federal prison , officials said .

Marcus Schrenker was accused of defrauding investors through companies he owned in Indiana .

Marcus Schrenker , 38 , of McCordsville , Indiana , pleaded guilty in June to charges of destruction of an aircraft and causing the Coast Guard to respond when no help is needed .

He was sentenced to 51 months in prison Wednesday , said a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney 's office in the northern district of Florida .

Schrenker also must pay the Coast Guard more than $ 34,000 in restitution and must pay Harley-Davidson Credit Corp. , the plane 's lien-holder , more than $ 871,000 , the U.S. attorney 's office said .

However , the payment to Harley-Davidson will be offset by any amount the company receives from insurance , prosecutors said in a statement .

Authorities believe that Schrenker hatched the plot for the January crash after investigators with the Indiana secretary of state 's office searched his home and business on December 31 .

He has been charged in Indiana with one felony count each of an unlawful act by a compensated adviser and unlawful transaction by an investment adviser . Authorities have said they think he defrauded investors through three companies he owns in a suburb of Indianapolis , Indiana .

On January 11 , Schrenker took off alone from Anderson , Indiana , in a Piper PA46 plane , saying he was headed for Destin , Florida . While over Alabama , he contacted air traffic controllers , saying that the windshield had imploded and that he was injured and bleeding profusely .

`` The defendant stated to air traffic controllers that he was not going to make it , '' according to documents filed in court providing a factual basis for Schrenker 's guilty plea . Schrenker agreed to the facts , the documents said , and they were read aloud during his change of plea hearing in June .

After Schrenker made that statement , his aircraft leveled off , and he remained at 3,500 feet while he made course corrections taking him closer to Harpersville , Alabama , where he had stored a motorcycle in a storage facility , the documents said .

Over the nearby town of Childersburg , Alabama , Schrenker jumped from the aircraft . The Coast Guard Investigative Service later recovered cut lines from tree branches and a parachute with a serial number that was traced to Schrenker , court documents said .

The Coast Guard dispatched rescue helicopters from New Orleans , Louisiana , and Mobile , Alabama , in case the plane crashed on land and sent two cutters in case it crashed into the Gulf of Mexico , prosecutors have said .

Meanwhile , two F-15 fighter jets were scrambled and located the plane in the air near Birmingham , Alabama . The pilots reported that the plane 's window was intact , its door was open , no pilot was on board , and the plane appeared to be on autopilot , according to affidavits filed in the case .

The jets followed the plane until it crashed near the Blackwater River in East Milton , Florida , according to court documents . Authorities said it missed a group of homes by 50 to 75 yards . Although the plane was severely damaged , investigators found that its windshield and windscreens were not damaged and that there was no blood inside the plane , the documents said . See plane 's flight path ''

In a search of the plane , authorities found handwritten notes on the inside back cover of a campground book , saying among other things , `` windshield is spider cracking , '' `` doors open , '' `` bleeding very bad '' and `` graying out , '' the documents said .

Meanwhile , Schrenker fled Harpersville on his motorcycle and traveled to a campground in Florida , where he was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on the outstanding charges from Indiana , according to court documents .

When found , authorities said at the time , Schrenker was bleeding from cuts on his wrists after an apparent suicide attempt . He was briefly hospitalized before being taken into custody .

Examining Schrenker 's computer , authorities found Internet searches on how to jump from airplanes and how to open a parachute , among other subjects , the court documents said .

When questioned by federal officials , Schrenker claimed that his windshield struck him in the face and his door malfunctioned , the court documents said .

Authorities then `` presented various pieces of evidence showing his claims to be untrue , '' and Schrenker admitted that he called in a false distress message and had intended the plane to crash into the Gulf of Mexico , the documents said .

Indiana officials agreed to allow the federal case against Schrenker to proceed before seeking to extradite him , prosecutors have said .

@highlight

Indiana 's Marcus Schrenker pleads guilty to federal charges

@highlight

Authorities : Schrenker intentionally crashed plane in January

@highlight

Schrenker parachuted in Alabama before plane crashed in Florida

@highlight

Schrenker also faces Indiana charges , accused of defrauding investors